By Yilma Bekele (08 January 2009) Ghana is at it again. They insist on trailblazing. Not that we complain, no we just envy Ghana. Ghana envy is spreading all over Africa like a wild fire. It is not the first time Ghana is leading the way either. What is it about Ghana that makes a grown man cry with joy? What exactly did they do this time?
Ghana has a peaceful transfer of power. Yes, in Africa that is considered a miracle. Ghanaians are special people. Like their cousins the Ethiopians on the East Coast of Africa, Ghana has always occupied a special place in the annals of African history.
Present day Ghana is named after the medieval Ghana Empire of West Africa. It was later absorbed to the Great Mali Kingdom of West Africa. It was no other than the great African leader Sundiata that united the warring kingdoms to form what came to be known as the Mali Empire around 1307. The Portuguese came to West Africa around the 15th. Century. They found so much gold by the mouth of the Volta River that they named the place Mina or Mine.
The arrival of the Portuguese opened the floodgates and ushered in the destruction of Africa. The English, French, Dutch, Danes and the Scandinavians followed to loot, rape and pillage the wealth of Africa. The slave trade decimated the population kidnapping the young and able. The traders hauled Africa’s treasures to Europe and the Americas leaving a trail of despair and destruction.
The so-called civilization of Europe with their ornate buildings, superb Universities, and advanced industries was built on stolen treasures from good old Africa. Their children have the time and means to contemplate the mysteries of the universe due to free labor and free resources stolen from Africa.
Ghana became the first of the British colonies to gain its independence in 1957. The founder and first president was none other than the great son of Africa Kwame Nkrumah. Nkrumah was educated in the US and highly influenced by the teachings of Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Du Bois the giants of African American leaders and thinkers. Nkrumah was one of the first African leaders to plant the not realized dream of Pan-Africanism.
Together with such African leaders as Emperor Haile Sellasie and President Sekou Toure of Guinea he laid the foundation for the creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Addis Abeba in May 1963. It is interesting to note that Malcolm X as an observer representing the 22million African Americans in the Diaspora attended the second OAU meeting in Cairo.
President Nkrumah was overthrown by the military in 1966. It is rumored but not proven that the British and the US played a role in this act of getting rid of an African nationalist. Ghana was thrown into succession of military leaders. A constitution allowing multi party system was set in place in 1992 and the then sitting military leader was elected in a free and democratic election. He was again elected for a second term in 1996. In a third national election John Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)Won.
Mr. Kufuor served for two terms with great distinction. He is loved and respected by all Ghanaians not to mention his pivotal role in settling the election conflict in Kenya. He served the two terms allowed by the constitution. This general election was a contest between the ruling NPP and the opposition organized under National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by John Attar Mills. It was a lively and open contest. The two main Parties were allowed to debate their vision on Television, radio and newspaper. The citizen was able to make an educated decision to choose the next national leader. As there has to be a winner after any contest, the opposition NDC carried the day. The loser accepts defeat with grace and is scheduled to hand power on January 7th.
The winner Mr. Mills said “”I would want to congratulate all other contestants, especially Nana Akufo-Addo, for giving us a good fight. It is my hope that we will be able to work together to build a better Ghana,…. I want to assure everybody that I will be president for all. There will be no discrimination,”
Akufo-Addo conceded defeat. “Our nation is at a crossroads and we must work together to build it peacefully,”
“John Atta Mills’ victory and the conduct of the people of Ghana provides a rare example of democracy at work in Africa,” Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga aid in a statement.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was mum on the subject. We have a saying ‘fes yalebet zelai aychelem.’ Democracy and elections are not the vocabulary of the minority regime.
If Ghana can do it so can we. If Ghana can build a robust and united democracy there is no reason why we cannot be able to do it. If Ghana a nation composed of several ethnic groups can build a united country based on equality without Kilil and apartheid so can we. Here is a comparison between Ethiopia and Ghana. You be the judge of what works. An open multi party system where the citizen exercises his God given right to choose his leader or a closed system of one party rule where the leader is chosen by terrifying and coercing the citizen. An economy based on free enterprise or an economy directed by a few cadres and geared to loot and steal. A society where the media is free or a government monopoly with the highest number of journalists in prison.
| 2007 | 2008 | |||
| Country | Ethiopia | Ghana | Ethiopia | Ghana |
| Population | 76 Million | 22 Million | 82.5 Million | 23.3 Million |
| Electricity production |
2.86 Billion kWh | 6.64 Billion kWh | 3.2 Billion kWh | 8.2 Billion kWh |
| Telephone - Land |
725,000 | 356,000 | 880,100 | 376,500 |
| Telephone -Cellular |
866,700 | 5.20Million | 1.21 Million | 7.60 Million |
| Internet Hosts | 89 | 2,899 | 128 | 24,018 |
| Internet Users |
164,000 | 609,800 | 291,000 | 650,000 |
| Radio AM | 8 | 0 | ||
| Radio FM | 1 | 86 | 0 | 86 |
| Radio Short Wave |
1 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| TV Stations | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 |
It is not enough to say I love what is happening in Ghana. The secret is to make it happen in Ethiopia. It will not happen in Ethiopia without the participation of the Ethiopians. Those in power are not going to wake up one morning and say ‘ I am going to let my people go free’. It does not happen like that. Dictators never concede power without struggle. There are many forms of struggle to get rid of dictators. In the Ethiopian context we have a few working hard on our behest to bring democracy and the rule of law to our beloved ancient land. We have a choice to involve our selves and work for the common good.
I will sign the petition to free the courageous leader of Andenet Judge Bertukan. I will march in my town to let the American people see the injustice in my homeland. I will not invest my hard earned money in Ethiopia and give foreign currency to the minority regime. I will not fly Ethiopian Airlines and contribute to the debasement of my people. I will contribute money to Ginbot7 so they can do what is necessary to get rid of the Apartheid regime. It is up to me to bring the liberation of my country. I will do my part to bring change so my children can live in a free and democratic Ethiopia. I am beyond talk. I am into doing what is necessary, now! today! Can you say that? If the answer is no, please shut up and sit in the corner. Let those committed do the job. Merry Ethiopian Christmas to our hero Judge Birtukan Mideksa who is in TPLF jail for working tirelessly for our freedom.
January 8th, 2009 at 7:11 am
I always belive this goverment are not sure will stay in Ethiopia or not. That is why no progress in the country. If their master plan in place Ethiopia will be like Albania. That is some of the leaders in the govermnt think. But one day ” kenu sichlem” will be too let . NO were to hide….We have enough Ethiopians ready to change the country.. but … you know always but……
January 8th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Mr yilma thank you for all detail and comparison with eth vs ghana well its clear that we are far away from the starting point even if we start today it might take few dozen years i wonder how we see ourselves are we still the best without being best ?
January 8th, 2009 at 11:23 am
http://erietinet.com/
24/7 amahric Program
January 8th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Surprised! not me, for me this comparison is basically comfirms for TPLF, that “mission accomplished”…
January 8th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
It is good to know but the data brought wrong figure, I think. I don’t know all but radio and TV station is not correct. This will lead wrong analysis may be!
January 8th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
There is no democracy in Ghana. You can not compare Ethiopia with Ghana. The present regime in Ethiopia waged an armed struggle and over threw one of the most brutal dictators in the world. The group in power in Ethiopia has to have a reliable partner to democratize the country. The Zenawi regime is already working with the former Dergists. That is where the mistake lies. Zenawi should not have allowed any members of the Mengistu regime to join his government. Besides Zenawi;s policy of ethnic federation has created more confusion, so basically nothing or little has changed vis-a-vis ethnic equality. The Amhara tribal group still enjoy a wide margin of freedom in using their language. The use of latin alphabete in some tribal communities has caused more problems than given solutions. The issue of Eritrea and the border issue with Sudan are being resolved not in the interest of the 80 million people of Ethiopia and rest of Africa.
Comparinf Ghana with Ethiopia is basically wrong. I am for democracy in Ethiopia. But I do not want to take over from Ghana or Nigeria. There is a traditional and tribal based power regulation in these parts of Africa. The population in Ghana might not be challenging the system. Ethiopia is one of the few countries in the world where armed struggle has been changed to bring about a social change. Unfortunate we have to still look for solutions. We are still far from being a democratic stae. አበሻ ልዩ ነው:: ኢትዮጲያንና ጋናን ማወዳደር አይቻልም:: ኢትዮጲያውያን በደርግ ጊዜ ቡዙ መከራ አይተዋል:: በሰልጣን ላይ ያለው መንግስት ከተቃዋሚው ኃይል ጋራ በሚያስተማምን መንገድ መደራደርና ስልጣን ማስረክብ አልቻለም:: ይህም በስልጣን ላይ ያለው ቡድን ያደረገው ከባድ ስህተት ነው:: መፍቲሄው በፅረ-ደረግና በጥጸረ-ኢ ህአዴግ መደብ መንቀሳቀስ ይሆናል::
January 10th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Protest at the Ethiopian Embassy in Stockholm/ Sweden
http://hornofafrica.de/
http://www.eastafro.com/Amharic/
January 13th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Solution: 1- we ethiopians have only have to assume that weyane is the no ONE enemy of the ethiopians.
2- We have either support the best political parties like Ginbot 7 finacially, idealy, and morally, or find our own ways to fight weyane or just to get rid of weyane.
3- we ethiopians do not have to spend more time on argumentative ideas, rather lets spend more time on practical moves against weyane.
4- Fight the weyane everywhere in diaspora, through churches, mosques, communities, schools, civic and political organizations.
5- Try to expose the weyane HODAM non-tigrian cadres everywhere and give enough information for best ethiopian websites so that everyone can identify them.
6- Boycatt all weyane business and thier products in diaspora, including Resturants, gas stations, convience stores, groceries, and all products that comes from ethiopia including Ambo Mineral water, Axumite wine, Teff enjera and others.
Finally, we all would be able to see the end of weyane era soon,
Together we win.
Death to all weyane members, blind and racist supporeters, and HODAM cadres
January 13th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
ውድ አንባቢያን
ኢትዮጵያ ዲሞክራሲ ሊኖር የሚችለው ሁለት ነገር ብቻ ሲስተካከል ነው ብዬ አምናለሁ:: የሚያከራክረው ህገ መንግስት ተስተካክሎ ህዝቡ አምኖበት ሲቀበለውና የአንድ መሪ የመንግስት ዘመን በህገ መንግስት ተወስኖ ሲቀመጥ ብቻ ነው:: ያነ በስልጣን መባለግ አይኖርም:: ይህ ነው ዋናው ችግር የኢትዮጵያ:: ዲሞክራሲ ማለት ይህ ነው:: ሌላው ራሱ በራሱ አያስተካከለ ይመጣል ባይ ነኝ::
ብዙ ጊዜ ይህንን አስተያየት ስጥቼ የሚስማኝ ኣጣሁኝ ወዳጆቼ::አለቀ ደቀቀ
January 15th, 2009 at 11:27 am
http://www.eastafro.com/Post/2009/01/14/video-eritrea-2009-geez-christmas-concert-live-from-cairo-egypt-part-ii/
Agazzi baby killer Rat you are fighting eritrea,somiia,sudan,
egypt,ethiopia against agame watch vedio
Somali Islamists strike at departing Ethiopians ( (Reuters)
http://www.ethiomedia.com/aurora/9705.html
shame on tigray Agazzi baby killer Rat peiople. shame in yourself, and your agazzzi troops. hahhahahahhahahhahahhahahahhahahhahahah
ahahahahhahahahhahahhahahhahahhahhahahahhahahhahahahha
Ethiopia should be ruled by majority not minority. We eritrean will enslave and have fun with tigrain girls onice ethiopian rule ethiopia. good tigrain Rat is a dead tigrian.
January 16th, 2009 at 12:50 am
TO:yohanis
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Thursday he was to discuss a peaceful end to the cold war with the Eritrean government, if Asmara feels a need to discuss a peace.
have tigrain republic first. Last time I saw the map was “one ethiopia” and eritrea. Check the map crazzzy agammmee.
Eritrea & Egypt doesn’t recognize the state of tigray. Eritrea & Egypt recognize “one ethiopia” tigray minority in ethiopia. They should be ruled by majority ethiopia. Tigray must serve ethiopia will free labor, comfort woman ( ladies) for brave ethiopian soliders
Agazzzi want peace with eritrea. It is not wish of eritrean & ethiopian people peace with agazzzi
crazzy agazzzie, you and your generation tigrain rats will be wiped out like rewanda style. wait until oromo and amahra unit under “one ethiopia” they will drive you agazzzi ass to north. we eritrean will finsh you with the last blow. Agazzzi baby. Look your agazzi leader meles want peace with eritrea. It is not wish of ethiopian & eritrean people with have peace with agazzzi babay killer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEmYqIi9BYQ
tigrain people will be wiped out by ethiopian&eritrean people. tigray is cancer.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Thursday he was to discuss a peaceful end to the cold war with the Eritrean government, if Asmara feels a need to discuss a peace.
“We are not uncomfortable with the status quo but it is in our interest to have peace. We will consider the status quo as unhealthy, unwelcome, but we will live with the status quo indefinitely,” the Prime Minister dictator told journalists Thursday.
Meles said his regime was ready to discus a peace proposal with Eritrea, if Asmara feels ready to discuss peace, but would not rush into such discussions unless the Eritrean government expresses its wish to discuss peace.
“We are ready to wait for them until such a time when they feel the need for peace, at that time, we will be ready with our peace proposal,” Meles told journalists.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister dictator said he was aware of the Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki’s latest seven-hour long press interview, which bashed the Woyanne regime. He said it was less worrying to him “so long as they do not bloody my nose.”